Report:?U. seeks damages from league

Athletic Director Tim Pernetti addresses the media and the Board of Governors on Nov. 20 during the school’s announcement of its move to the Big?Ten.

Rutgers filed a lawsuit against the Big East Conference yesterday, seeking to avoid a $10 million exit fee to leave the league along with its 27-month timeline to join the Big Ten, according to The Star-Ledger.

It also seeks approximately $1.3 million for the loss of a home game with TCU, which reneged a commitment to the Big East this year for an offer from the Big 12.

The Rutgers football team, originally supposed to host TCU this season, instead visited Temple — the replacement for Big 12-bound West Virginia — on the road, losing out on revenue from a projected home game.

Athletic Director Tim Pernetti hinted at the move earlier in the season.

The suit alleges the Big East did not hold other defecting members — Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Syracuse — to the same exit-fee and timeline standards, in effect penalizing the University.

Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Syracuse leave for the ACC for the 2013-2014 season. Pittsburgh and Syracuse announced their intentions in 2011, meaning they would have originally joined the ACC midway through the academic year.

Notre Dame made a commitment to the ACC less than two months ago.

The Big East’s exit lawsuits have become standard practice, beginning with West Virginia’s departure this year for the Big 12.

The school cited losses of several schools to other conferences and failed leadership from then-Commissioner John Marinatto, setting into motion the Big East’s latest trend.